


oh how the hero's journey wheel keeps turning

by adragonsshadow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: and then some philosophy, battle of hogwarts final showdown, because I am a delight to watch movies with and always have comments to make, because it's weird times, but with more commentary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24159262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adragonsshadow/pseuds/adragonsshadow
Summary: So what if the battle of hogwarts ended with some hijinks that remove our protagonist and antagonist from the picture. And just slot them into the next picture we can find. Forever.And we also delve into a philosophical look at what a society without them would look like and how it would rebound.
Kudos: 2





	oh how the hero's journey wheel keeps turning

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this was just me trying to incorporate funny internet quotes into some writing (and me trying to redo that whole turn to ashes and dissolve death in the movie). And then I reread my original ending for this segment and got real deep into what would define a society after a war was won and lost.  
> This is just for fun but doesn't really distract from some of the chaos and injustice seen in the world right now - nothing explicit but (I hope) it's thought provoking.  
> Take care of yourselves y'all!

Facing down Voldemort was becoming way too commonplace for Harry to be comfortable with. (It’s like: “if I had a nickel for every time I faced down Voldemort and lived I’d have…”, but instead of two nickels Harry’s got seven and most people only get one). That parchment colored skin, the eyes, and the lack of a nose and any sort of body hair in this incarnation was just as off putting as the incorporeal dark spirit from the whole Quirrell debacle.

But here they stand, in the middle of the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Bellatrix dead, the enchanted sky above them starting to turn a rosy gold with the rising sun, a crowd of spectators. Harry ready to do battle in wits and wands after the _Avada_ once again failed to kill him. (Though the crowd behind him is quite a concern for a standard duel because if something doesn’t hit him, bets are that it will hit someone in the crowd behind him. Ah, where’s common sense when you need it with magical folk?)

Voldemort was grasping his wand with the tips of his fingers, the way Harry had seen conductor’s use their batons to direct a rather ‘delicate’ piece. Harry, on the other hand, had wiped his hands on his trousers as he ran up through the hallways and still had sweaty palms and a white knuckle grip on his borrowed wand.

“How are you alive?” Voldemort hissed.

Harry looked him dead in those unnatural red eyes and asked, “I have survived every attempt you made to murder me for years Tom. Do you see the scars from all your failed attempts? Do I look like the kind of wizard who dies?” (One point to Harry for keeping the sass level up with that much wit after dying just under and hour ago.)

Voldemort responded, “Do I?” (One point to Voldemort because how would you answer that after he came back from not having a body like three times now. Also, the whole quest for immortality – if he played his cards right he could’ve lived for a real long time. Fortunately, he’s a sadistic bastard with no morals or sanity to speak of so he overestimated his cunning and narrative arcs so he won’t get to see his goals realized.)

Before either of them could really ponder the irony of that question, the crowd shifted. Someone’s wand twitched and a vibrant red and green spell streaked to clash in the center of the hall. Their wands connected once more.

Instead of an ethereal golden thread dome, the ensuing blast knocked everyone off their feet.

A few seconds of groans and panicked assessments of injuries, the crowd came to realize that the body of Voldemort had disappeared. In his place was his incredibly dramatic and flowy robe gently drifting to the ground.

It was as if someone had held up the robe and once everyone sat up, they let go of it and scurried off the arena floor. It made its way to the ground like it was slowly sinking underwater – unnatural in the very gaseous air that filled the Great Hall – but fitting to signify the ending of a truly dramatic wizard.

(Honestly, it was good that Voldemort was such a powerful wizard because can you just imagine all the menial disasters that would come from walking around in that robe, not to mention fighting in it? Is it just a symbol of power to wear long-sleeved, flowy robes as a magical person of considerable power? _Oh look at me, I can walk places and not trip, I don’t dip my sleeves in dust everywhere, I can keep my hands clear and visible as I perform all this fancy spellwork_. Such a silly thing these magical folk make power and status out to be. What a disservice to never feature some poor robe-wearing assailant trying to make their way over the rubble of Hogwarts or any non-clear path only to be accosted by their robe getting stuck on a stray rock or branch.)

Harry stood up to find a pale wand with odd symbols up and down the wood in his hand; which is strange because he definitely did not catch anything as he flew back into the rubble. In fact, he was pretty sure he let go of his borrowed wand. A quick summoning spell later and he held two wands (with his broken holly wand in the pouch around his neck) – and he was completely alone.

Harry couldn’t be bothered about it for a good five seconds. At this point it was one of those days where one simply shrugs and says, “Well this may as well happen”. But before he could gather the energy to be even remotely curious about where he ended up, that world disappeared in a flash of white.

The crowds in the Great Hall of Hogwarts celebrate and weep in the same breath, assuming – correctly – that their greatest evil and savior have been taken from them. They live on and rebuild their society from the ground up, implementing forms of regulation and weeding out corruption. Harry Potter is a martyr and tales of his bravery and selflessness encourage others to give opportunities to all.

\---

(Or at least that is what we can hope they do in the wake of the disappearance of their savior and martyr and villain and hero – as I am certain that the roles Harry and Voldemort filled varied from person to person. It is a given that the power vacuum left by our protagonist and antagonist is a complicated matter full of debates of how willing a community is to change and what measures can be introduced to support that with a government that appears to breed corruption and neglect the needs of the people.

How can we say that society will improve after this if we do not know how all of wizarding Britain views Voldemort’s goals, and their societal biases and prejudices that prevent the cooperation of old-money wizard-kind and anyone newly introduced to magical society? How do they feel about the lacking education in Hogwarts (why don’t these kids learn essay writing skills, or any kind of first aid, or comprehensive history, or basic math – which they really need with their complicated prime number money system)? Which, just, they _need_ to take a deeper look at Hogwarts. This is the only venue for magical education in the country and it no interference from the governing body for the most part. Teachers can teach almost anything to students without legal or administrative repercussions. They also don’t have to be certified teachers. There’s so much wasted potential to start developing logic skills there – and also so many legal violations of building codes and adults interacting with students.

How do they feel about Knockturn Alley? Do they support the exclusion of pretty much every non-magical or not-100%-human person from society? Do they actually believe that living without modern “muggle” inventions puts them ahead of the rest of the world?

And in the recovery process, what will happen to those who openly supported Voldemort? Do they fade back into the shadows and take up their mantles as politicians and shop-owners and community members? Are they rounded up and tried by a justice system that failed so many before them and the people it serves? Are they tossed into a prison with no chance of rehabilitation (because Azkaban is nothing more than a prolonged death sentence with some vengeance dished out with dementors acting as mental and physical torturers. It drives people to the brink of madness and what is the point of a prison that drives people to madness if not to make them appear less than human and ensure their eventual death is gruesome for a revenge-hungry society)?

Politicians and the rich who buy politicians were on both sides of the war. After this is over, do they try to use the chaos to further their goals and shape society to their liking? Do they take advantage of those who lost family to garner support to restrict the movement and freedom of the opposition? Are they weak if they refuse to sponsor a blood thirsty revenge campaign? Does anyone have it in their hearts to skip the vengeance and move straight to therapy and the social/political/financial exclusion of genocidal maniacs from society? In a community this small can the exclusion of genocidal maniacs be considered a prolonged death sentence?

Can a society change to better support their vulnerable populations if given the chance? Was the lack of equity due to a lack of politicians with the political power to make these changes? Was it due to a lack of understanding from the governing body – as they are largely old-money families who have never had to fear for their financial well-being?

Also, what international magical committees could aid in the rebuilding process? Is it every magical society for themselves across the globe when a genocidal dictator strikes? Was there a fear in Europe that Voldemort’s takeover would spread? Do they have their own societal prejudices against non-magical and not-100%-human persons? Would they attempt to step in during the rebuilding process to profit off of the chaos caused by this war?

So the actual progression of magical Britain after this point in time is nebulous at best. But I suppose, for a moment, we can bask in the hope that it turns out better than when it started. A society moving towards change. A society that will lift up their community to make life a bit better for everyone – especially those who don’t have ready access to basic necessities. A society with more therapy. A society with more comprehensive education to help remove the intrinsic barriers that come with cultural miscommunication and increase the development of analytical and logic-based skills.)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey thanks for reading through all of this! Or at least scrolling to the bottom to see the comments and the notes lol.  
> This was originally a soul-bond fic where Harry & Voldy come back in some other scenarios with protagonist/antagonist roles and some choice internet quotes (not to lovers or anything resembling a cordial relationship, *maybe* begrudging respect). And I just might go through with another chapter of that but who knows with current chaos.


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